On 11/07/2012 mikllaw wrote:>My knees have been killing me for 4 months (hell, isn't that something>that happens to old people?) I like a drink as much as the next man, if>he's also an alcoholic. >
What does that have to do with climbing?
;-)

>Anyway, I decided to give drinking for dry July but find that it's turned>into pain free knee month, damn! I'll continue the experiment till I crack.>
?
A 10 day dry spell produced that response?
I have been told that I should take up red wine as it is likely better for me, but so far the scotch whisky doesn't appear to be giving me bad knees, or any other negative symptoms...
~> What is/was your drink of choice when you are/were not looking after your knees?

>The obvious alternate hypothesis that weight loss reduces knee stress>is unprovable as I haven't lost an ounce. And some mornings I still wake>up feeling terrible!

BS! Give us a graph or it didn't happen!
;-)>>This would be my first 10 days without plonk since 1975 I think

~> You probably had enough back then to average out at a reasonable amount ongoing!
If you dispute this, then I will seek a second opinion from ww&s on the intake vs age hypothesis!!
Heh, heh, heh.

Gout can present in a number of ways, although the most usual is a recurrent attack of acute inflammatory arthritis (a red, tender, hot, swollen joint). The metatarsal-phalangeal joint at the base of the big toe is affected most often, accounting for half of cases. Other joints, such as the heels, knees, wrists and fingers, may also be affected. Joint pain usually begins over 2–4 hours and during the night. The reason for onset at night is due to the lower body temperature then.

Dietary causes account for about 12% of gout, and include a strong association with the consumption of alcohol, fructose-sweetened drinks, meat, and seafood. Other triggers include physical trauma and surgery. Recent studies have found dietary factors once believed to be associated are, in fact, not, including the intake of purine-rich vegetables (e.g., beans, peas, lentils, and spinach) and total protein. The consumption of coffee, vitamin C and dairy products, as well as physical fitness, appear to decrease the risk. (source: Wikipedia)

I'd be ditching the lollies,seafood,trauma and cosmetic surgery and staying on the drink.
You might want to avoid wines from Pyrenees Ridge and Blue Pyrenees though!!

I had a virus a few years ago that made me allergic to alcohol (damaged kidneys?) - I'd get a migraine after drinking even a light beer. I suffered headaches for 3 months before my conditioning returned.

On 13/07/2012 One Day Hero wrote:>On 13/07/2012 paulmilliken wrote:>>>>I don't know how it works - I visited a naturopath...........I suggest>consulting a health>>professional if you want to know more.>>Yes, sounds like visiting a health professional might be a good idea.

And try as hard as I like,
A small crack appears
In my diplomacy-dike.
"By definition", I begin
"Alternative Medicine", I continue
"Has either not been proved to work,
Or been proved not to work.
You know what they call "alternative medicine"
That's been proved to work?
Medicine.

I asked my surgeon if there was anything I could be doing to help my cartilage and bone heal - glucosamine, extra calcium or protein etc. He said decisively no glucosamine (and eat a normal balanced diet and don't take up smoking!). I didn't actually get to find out why he said no glucasamine because I got distracted by other stuff, but I'm curious ... I'm sure climbers are high consumers of glucosamine.

"Glucosamine is widely used for osteoarthritis pain. It is not as impossible as homeopathy, but its rationale is improbable. As I explained in a previous post,

Wallace Sampson, one of the other authors of this blog, has pointed out that the amount of glucosamine in the typical supplement dose is on the order of 1/1000th to 1/10,000th of the available glucosamine in the body, most of which is produced by the body itself. He says, “Glucosamine is not an essential nutrient like a vitamin or an essential amino acid, for which small amounts make a large difference. How much difference could that small additional amount make? If glucosamine or chondroitin worked, this would be a medical first and worthy of a Nobel."